Transformers are electrical devices in power networks that transfer electrical energy between circuits through electromagnetic induction. A typical transformer comprises at least two windings, a primary winding and a secondary winding, about a core. A current from a current supply, typically an alternative current from an electrical grid, is supplied into the transformer's primary winding, creates a magnetic fiux in the core, and a magnetic field impinges on the secondary winding and induces a voltage therein.
Voltage optimisation devices are a type of transformer used to optimise the characteristics of the current supplied at the source according to current characteristics required at a load. Voltage optimisation devices accordingly also transform the first current into a second current, which meets the characteristics of the current required at the load. The first current is typically an alternating voltage, which may be either lower than the second alternating voltage, in which case the resultant voltage is increased and said to be stepped up, or higher than the second alternating voltage, in which case the resultant voltage is decreased and said to be stepped down. This transformation routinely results in excess transformed voltage.
In voltage optimisation systems of the prior art, the supply current flows into the first winding to the second winding of a voltage optimisation device, wherein the magnetic flux causes the induction of a reverse current, which is a fraction of the supply current. This reverse current has a negative charge and flows in the opposite direction to the supply current, wherein it is directed back into the current supply. This reverse current is also anti-phase to the supply current, and these characteristics contribute to the efficiency and optimising function of a voltage optimiser. This reverse current is a real form of energy, which is distinct from current traditionally referred to as ‘apparent’ or ‘reactive’. This reverse current also constitutes excess transformed current.
Having regard to the increasing costs and difficulty of maintaining and improving infrastructures dedicated to the production of electricity and the powering of electrical grids, the widespread adoption of supply sources commonly referred to as renewable energy sources and typically constituted of wind- and solar-powered generators is occurring in parallel with a drive to minimize electrical consumption and maximize the use made of the supplied electricity. In that context, a solution is needed for harnessing the above mentioned excess transformed current for alternative uses.